At a state ceremony attended by figures from across the political spectrum, former Victorian premier John Cain has been memorialised as a selfless man of integrity with a passion for social justice.
Mr Cain led the state from 1982 to 1990 and is credited with introducing a raft of reforms that transformed the state. He passed away in December aged 88.
Among those in attendance this morning at St Paul's Cathedral were State Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien, federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese, former prime minister Julia Gillard, past Labor premiers John Brumby and Steve Bracks and former Liberal premiers Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Denis Napthine.
After a welcome from the Dean of Melbourne, Andreas Loewe, Mr Cain's daughter Joanne Crothers delivered a quote from Henry Scott Holland's 'Death is Nothing at All'.
Premier Daniel Andrews was the first to offer a tribute and highlighted Mr Cain's "decency, his clarity and his unwavering sense of purpose".
Mr Andrews went on to list some of Mr Cain's many achievements as premier, including the creation of WorkSafe, the TAC and the Victorian Electoral Commission.
"Each of them pillars of a fair and decent and democratic Victoria and each of them finding their foundations in John Cain's government," Mr Andrews said.
"He took on the archaic practices that prohibited women from joining our sporting clubs. He liberalised licencing laws, overhauled tenancy laws, extended shop trading hours and introduced Victorians to Sunday footy.
"Just as he had once modernised our party, John set about modernising our state."
Former federal Labor attorney-general Michael Duffy was next to pay tribute, noting Mr Cain's role in reforming the party to take it to electoral success, along with his Labor contemporaries including Barry Jones and John Button.
"The Whitlam period and the John Cain period changed the nature of society in Victoria and Australia," he said, noting that five Labor prime ministers then followed that period — which was considered "unheard of" before their victories.
Director of the Victorian Women's Trust, Mary Crooks AO, who knew and worked with Mr Cain for decades, filled a gap in the recent coverage of Mr Cain's legacy by speaking of his contribution to "achieving a fairer world for women".
Ms Crooks gave a long list of Mr Cain's milestone achievements in gender equality, ranging from his appointment of more women to cabinet to the establishment of organisations such Victorian Women's Trust to anti-discrimination legislation, becoming visibly emotional towards the end of her eulogy.
Mr Cain's sons John and James shared personal memories of Mr Cain as a devoted father and grandfather.
Judge John Cain — Victoria's state coroner — said his father's years working as a suburban lawyer for working-class clients was a formative experience, giving him insight into the law's impact on people.
"It's not surprising that in the early years of government the reform agenda included an independent department of public prosecutions, new workers' compensation laws, the Transport Accident Commission, new property laws and freedom of information," he said.
James Cain said his father's credo of stability was also applied in his personal life, where he followed careful routines and remained physically active right up until his death.
"Every morning there was a run, and reading of the papers sitting in a beanbag, followed by breakfast ... Weeties were only ever eaten between September and May, and porridge in the cooler months from June to August," he said.
In closing, James Cain offered some of his father's wisdom and advice:
"Be honest and don't cheat the system. Read books, don't trust banks. The Internet is full of crap.
"Study hard and go to university, because they can never take your education away from you ... take care of your partner, because you might find most of what you achieve in life is because of their support.
"Finally, if it's a choice between the hard way and the easy way, pick the right way, whether it's easy or hard."
Here's how the service unfolded in Melbourne's St Paul's Cathedral.
